Chapter 51. A night of fierce wind and torrential rain.
The rain was still drizzling outside, accompanied by the distant rumble of thunder. It grew heavier and heavier, soon becoming a downpour, and was being whipped by the wind to rattle against the windowpanes.
The room was completely silent.
Shen Mi had her back to Gu Zhan, not daring to utter a sound. She covered her mouth tightly, afraid that she would let out even the slightest noise.
She couldn't understand how Gu Zhan had found her village in such a short time. If he was looking for someone, shouldn't he have started by checking the inns first? Besides, there were more than just this one village outside Runzhou City. It had been less than an hour since she escaped from Runzhou City, yet Gu Zhan had been able to find her so quickly and accurately.
She was completely hidden under the thick quilt, with only her head sticking out. It was impossible to tell what color her clothes were, and she had no extra hair ornaments. Her hair had been soaked by the rain on the way back with the boatman, and even if it had been dried, it would have been disheveled.
However, after saying that, Gu Zhan didn't react further, seemingly just staring at her back.
The more she thought about it, the more panicked she became.
Then she heard her own heartbeat, her breathing amplified infinitely, and the sound of raindrops dripping from the person behind her onto the floor.
There was no sound of that person speaking.
Shen Mi tried her best to suppress her fear, but couldn't help wondering what would happen if Gu Zhan really found out and took her back.
During this time, she pretended to be gentle and considerate in front of Gu Zhan, letting him do whatever he wanted and going along with him, afraid that he would suspect the slightest thing. She coaxed him into opening his heart to her, and even told her that he already knew that his birth mother was not the empress, but Yang Meiren who was locked in the imperial mausoleum.
But she ran away; it was all an act, just to lower his guard and dispel his doubts.
Shen Mi realized that she had no idea how Gu Zhan would treat her if she were captured and taken back.
For a moment, she even felt that the previous confinement was too lenient; she feared that he might have killed her simply because she knew his secret background.
Gu Zhan stood with his hands behind his back, two steps away from her bed. His gaze slowly fell on the half-inch of the woman's neck that was exposed, where there was a small cinnabar mole on the back of her snow-white neck.
Although most of her neck was covered by thick black hair, there was a gap left.
The room was dimly lit, and the mole wasn't very big, only about the size of a sesame seed. If you didn't look closely, you wouldn't notice it at all.
I'm afraid even Shen Mi herself doesn't know that she has such a mole on the back of her neck.
But he still spotted it immediately.
He boasted that he knew her body better than Shen Mi—during their time sharing a bed in Runzhou, he had measured the size of every part of her body with his palm, where he kissed her to arouse her most, and where she had moles. He had seen and memorized them all, and there were even many places that she herself probably hadn't seen, but he had taken them all into his sight.
Gu Zhan stared at the mole and gently curled his lips into a smile.
"But how can I be sure that the person lying on this bed is really your daughter-in-law suffering from tuberculosis, or the fugitive I'm looking for?"
He said this to the boatman, but didn't even glance at him.
Upon hearing this, Shen Mi's heart sank.
If it were an ordinary soldier, she would probably just pinch her throat to make her voice hoarse and cough a few times to scare people away. After all, tuberculosis is an incurable disease, and no one would want to get too close to a tuberculosis patient.
But the person behind her was none other than Gu Zhan. Others might not be able to recognize her voice, but Gu Zhan was extremely familiar with it. If she made a sound rashly, she would definitely be discovered.
The slightly teasing smile that had been on Gu Zhan's face gradually cooled down. "Turn around."
Shen Mi didn't dare to move.
The boatman stepped forward and explained to Gu Zhan, "Sir, my wife is deaf. She can neither hear nor speak. She just took her medicine and went to sleep."
Shen Mi gripped her sleeves tightly, not daring to imagine whether Gu Zhan would believe such a clumsy excuse.
Just then, another unfamiliar male voice came from the doorway.
"My lord, we have found what appears to be the fugitive you are looking for in the next courtyard. She is a woman dressed in green."
Shen Mi's breathing almost stopped.
Is it really such a coincidence?
Does that mean that if Gu Zhan leaves with his subordinates to the neighboring courtyard, she will have a chance to slip away under the cover of night, and by the time Gu Zhan realizes that the woman in that courtyard is not her and returns, she will no longer be there?
The crisis tonight can be resolved.
Shen Mi's heart pounded like a drum; she had never longed for Gu Zhan to speak so much.
All he has to do is say he'll go take a look...
Gu Zhan beckoned his index finger to the subordinate who was announcing things at the door, signaling him to come closer.
The subordinates dared not delay for a moment and stepped forward to stand between him and the boatman.
Gu Zhan sneered, and in the next instant, he drew a curved sword from the scabbard hanging at his subordinate's waist and held it horizontally in the air.
The room was dark, but the cold light from the blade of the knife reflected the candlelight and quickly illuminated a large area in front of Shen Mi.
Her scalp tingled, and she dared not move.
The light flashed past her in a flash, and then she heard Gu Zhan's voice: "Chen Mi, think it over. If my knife goes astray, your savior will immediately die for harboring and protecting a fugitive. I'll count to three."
"one."
"two."
Shen Mi immediately threw back the covers and sat up, saying, "Don't harm the innocent."
She knew that Gu Zhan had always regarded the lives of ordinary people as worthless, and if he said so, he would definitely do it.
She couldn't afford to gamble; she couldn't let her grudge against Gu Zhan implicate others.
Gu Zhan looked down and saw the woman's anxious eyes. Her messy black hair fell over her shoulders. She knelt on the couch in front of him, raised her face, and pleaded with him to let the people in the room go.
He didn't sheathe his sword, but instead stuck it into the ground. He glared at Shen Mi and said coldly, "Deceiving the emperor, betraying your master, and fleeing. Now, let's add another one: impersonating someone else. You have quite the nerve."
Shen Mi pursed her lips and remained silent.
Gu Zhan saw the woman lower her head and asked, "Tell me, should I call you Chen Mi now, or Wu Cui Niang?"
Shen Mi felt a chill run down her spine and immediately looked up at Gu Zhan.
Gu Zhan's lips were clearly upturned, as if he were smiling, but if you looked up slightly, you could see his eyes, which were as cold as ice, and there was not a trace of a smile in them.
Shen Mi quickly realized that Gu Zhan was giving her a warning.
The name "Wu Cuiniang" was made up for her by the boatman on the spot.
She dared not linger on the bed for another moment, and immediately got off. "I know I was wrong. They know nothing of my background. I beg Your Majesty to show mercy..."
Gu Zhan saw the trembling woman standing in front of him, and used his fingertips to lift her chin, forcing her to look up.
Tears welled in the woman's eyes, and Gu Zhan couldn't see her expression, but his fingertips touched the pulse in her neck.
Her heart was beating rapidly and erratically.
He stared at the woman's face for a while, then withdrew his hand and released her face.
With a "whoosh," the knife returned to its sheath.
Shen Mi looked in the direction of the sound and finally dared to spare a moment.
Fortunately, Gu Zhan did not lay a hand on the boatman who rescued her.
She didn't dare look at Gu Zhan, only hearing his displeased voice: "What are you still standing there for?"
She gently bit her lip and replied, "Yes."
Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw that the boatman wanted to say something to her. She turned her head away to wipe away her tears, and after regaining her composure, she shook her head at the boatman to indicate that she was alright.
The boatman finally sighed softly and stepped aside.
Even though Shen Mi's attire doesn't reveal her identity, the man later referred to as "Lord" is someone he can command so many people to serve, and he's probably not someone he can afford to offend. Even if he wanted to help Shen Mi cover up her identity, he's powerless to do so at this moment.
As they reached the door, the boatman's wife brought over an umbrella and handed it to Shen Mi, saying, "If you're leaving now, take this umbrella with you so you don't get wet."
Shen Mi's eyes welled up with tears, and her nose tingled. She took the umbrella from the woman and bowed slightly to express her gratitude.
She gripped the umbrella tightly in her hand, remaining silent but glancing around nervously, wondering how much of an escape she still had.
She absolutely could not go back with Gu Zhan like this; she couldn't even imagine what Gu Zhan, in his rage, would do to her when they returned.
She kept her head down the whole time, and Gu Zhan didn't miss a single one of her glances or little gestures.
"At this point, you're still thinking of running away?"
The sinister tone made Shen Mi's hand holding the umbrella freeze instantly. Helplessly, she looked up at Gu Zhan, only to meet his gloomy face.
She instinctively opened her lips, but before she could utter a single word, Gu Zhan's arm had already wrapped around her waist, hoisted her onto his shoulder, and walked into the rain.
The umbrella that Shen Mi was holding fell to the ground due to the loss of strength in her wrist, splashing out ripples.
Her waist and abdomen bumped against Gu Zhan's shoulder, and the feeling of weightlessness as she fell made her instinctively grab onto Gu Zhan's back.
Gu Zhan was very strong and gave her no chance to escape. No matter how she kicked her legs in the air, she could not break free. Instead, her ankles were grabbed and she could not move at all.
"Try moving again."
The rain was still falling. His subordinate had already picked up the umbrella from the ground, quickly followed, and held it over the two of them. He followed them all the way to the courtyard gate, and then saw the Crown Prince throw Lady Chen onto the horse, mount the horse with one hand holding the reins, and take the umbrella from her with the other.
"Go to Yangzhou, then immediately set off back to Bianjing."
The subordinate clasped his hands in agreement, not daring to utter a single unnecessary word, and followed Gu Zhan onto his horse.
The horse's hooves pounded across the slightly muddy country path, heading directly towards the official road leading to Yangzhou.
Shen Mi was trapped between Gu Zhan and the horse's head. The gap Gu Zhan left for her did not allow her to move even a little. He steered the horse with one hand, while the other hand, which was holding the reins, crossed across her waist and abdomen, locking her tightly in his arms.
Her wet back pressed against Gu Zhan's chest, and through the thin fabric of her clothes, she could even feel Gu Zhan's heartbeat.
Everything was pitch black before her eyes, and the torrential rain mixed with the wind rushed past her ears.
Gu Zhan urged the horse on quickly, and the horse lurched along the uneven road, making her feel like she could vomit her heart.
After speeding along this road for an unknown amount of time, Shen Mi spotted the Yangzhou Wharf.
Several identical large ships were on the canal, standing ready, undoubtedly heading straight for Bianjing (Kaifeng).
After dismounting, she was carried by Gu Zhan on the boat. His subordinates had to jog to keep up with her while holding umbrellas, until they arrived at the cabin that had been prepared for Gu Zhan.
Before she could even react, she was thrown onto the couch.
She tried to get up, but Gu Zhan pushed her down by the shoulder, trapping her between him and the bed.
Gu Zhan's eyes darkened. "You don't have a single good memory, do you?"
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Author's note: There should still be 3000 today.
After a long day of working non-stop, I was about to start writing when I fainted from low blood sugar. Luckily, my roommate came back from get out of class and gave me some candy. When I woke up, it was already 7 PM. I only had time to write 3000 words; I'll post the other 3000 later. I'm going to grab some food now. *bows* [poor face][poor face]
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